A Christian Family at a Passover Table
We’ll decorate the kitchen table with dying palm branches curling on the edges — the branches that we waved while shouting “Hosanna! Hosanna!”
We’ll ask the question: Why is this night different from all other nights?
We’ll wash our daughters’ feet. We’ll dip parsley in salt water, and we’ll remember the hyssop and the tears.
Together, our family will drink from the cup of redemption by candlelight.
We’ll remember the cross Jesus bore. And in the midst of our sorrow, we’ll remember this, too: Sunday is a-comin’!
It’s a Jewish feast — the Passover Seder — but it is ours, too. We hold it dear, because God holds it dear. We celebrate it, because Jesus did.
And like the disciples, we will stand in awe of the new things He revealed through an ancient ritual.
In one week, we will celebrate a Messianic Passover meal around our family’s dinner table. Would you consider celebrating with us, by doing the same in your own home?
Several years ago, I researched and wrote a Messianic Passover Seder celebration for our church. We hold the Seder meal every other year at church. This year, I have revised it for use in our own home with our children.
You may find the script and instructions by clicking here, by scrolling down to the post below this one, or by contacting me via email. And yes, you are free to use the material! You may also modify it for age-appropriateness.
Next Thursday, we will come to the table of the Last Supper, and we will remember Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” — Luke 22:14-15
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PHOTO: Last year’s Seder Meal.
DRAWING, by Lydia, as she considers how amazed the disciples must have been when Jesus brought new meaning to the Passover feast.
Each Wednesday, I join Ann Voskamp as we consider spiritual practices that draw us closer to the heart of Christ. As we approach Easter, I consider how ancient traditions draw us nearer to Him.
What a wonderful and touching way to teach your children. I think we let it go all too easily that the Passover celebration is very important to those in the Christian faith as well as the Jewish faith. Thank you for the ideas.
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Alicia is right…we do not do enough teaching like this with our kids.
Hugs, andrea
Jennifer – How lovely. How timely for me. We haven't done a Passover meal in several years. I decided this year was a good time to do it again. I even went and ordered some things for us to use every year as a reminder (like we do our Advent wreath). I'm so excited, they came today. Thanks for sharing your material – I will be checking it out to go along with our Passover. You are such a blessing.
This is beautiful…
Oh, thank you, Jennifer! I'm definitely printing this out. We have celebrated at our church, but not regularly. I think it is such a special tradition. Perhaps I will try…
This is so beautiful. Several times when I was a teenager in high school I was able to participate in a Passover celebration with Jews for Jesus, and also when my children were young we did as well. I think some times as Christians we forget the rich heritage of of Jewish faith from which Jesus came and which is also our inheritance.
Such an awesome concept. I think I'm going to save your script to use next year when my kiddos can actually sit still for more than 5 minutes.
Something we've done this year you might like is a reverse advent. You can have one candle per week of the 40 days of lent. Or I've also seen it done where they had 7 candles, one for each of the last sayings of Jesus on the cross.
The way it's done is you light them all to start with (representing Jesus as the light of the world), then you snuff out one per week until Jesus' death when all the candles are extinguished (or if you do the 7 sayings, you snuff them all out after each saying is read). If you extinguish them all at one sitting, it's so symbolic to do it in the dark to show just how dark was the world when Christ died.
"Huh, what?"
I love that part. I use those words with Jesus a lot.
(And the fact that the disciple is standing on the table makes it feel just like my house.)
Thanks for sharing a wonderful tradition.
That is wonderful. I started looking at this for our family, last week, for next year.
I'd always wanted to do this. I don't know why I felt "I couldn't." I just told my husband after reading Ann's post on incourage that I wanted to celebrate like this next year!
How wonderful? What has your extended family thought about this? And how did you get your church to participate?
Jennifer, I was just thinking the other day how I would like to participate in a Passover meal. I'm going to read over you stuff and see if I can pull it off because I'd really like to. I'd prefer to have someone else put it together and lead us in it the first time – we've never been a part of one – but we'll see. Thanks for sharing. I'm very interested.
Kay
Thank you for posting this. I just had a friend ask me some questions today about Christians celebrating Passover and this helped me so much!
I was thrilled to find this post! Our family celebrates Passover as well, and we're gearing up for next week's Seder. I especially was happy to find your script for families with children, this year we'll have a lot of kids at our supper and I was looking to do something different (we normally do the whole Haggadah). I'm posting some recipes and thoughts from last year this week, and will probably post more next week too! It's a tradition that we look forward to all year.
My oldest daughter and her family celebrate Passover too. They don't do the traditional easter egg and baskets.
I think it draws us closer to Jesus as we follow in His steps!
thanks for sharing this Jennifer,
Beth
Love this – I have two girls and I will be sharing this with my husband and looking forward having our own Passover
Washing there feet will be perfect what a great idea! Thanks